EU will expel refugees to Turkey, re-admit them from there, under ‘game-changing’ plan
RT,
6
March, 2016
Turkey
has offered to take back unregistered migrants from Greece while
sending the same number of genuine Syrian refugees to the EU. In
return, Ankara wants double the promised EU funding, visa-free
travel, and faster progress towards EU membership.
“We
want to prevent waves of refugees, and tragic events in the Aegean
Sea,” said
prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu, following a summit with 28 EU heads
of states in Brussels, which had to be extended into the early
evening. Hours earlier, 25 migrants drowned off the Turkish coast,
en-route to Greece. “With
these new proposals, we aim to rescue refugees, discourage those who
misuse and exploit their situation, and find a new era in Turkey-EU
relations.”
European
Union leaders take part in a group photo during a EU-Turkey summit in
Brussels, as the blo is looking to Ankara to help it curb the influx
of refugees and migrants flowing into Europe, March 7, 2016. © Yves
Herman / Reuter
On
Monday morning, the Turkish politician promised “game-changing
ideas” as
he headed into the meeting with European leaders keen to close the
Balkan route used by more than 800,000 migrants to enter the
continent last year.
The
joint draft produced by the end of the session lived up to his
pledge.
According
to document, published by Reuters, “for
every Syrian readmitted by Turkey from Greek islands, another Syrian
will be resettled from Turkey to the EU member states.”
Last
week, Turkey promised to take back failed asylum seekers from Europe
if they had passed through its territory, but the new initiative
presents a considerable logistical challenge. A strengthened EU force
would have to scour the Greek islands and deport refugees – despite
the objections of human rights organizations – while another in
Turkey would have to process claims before sending them on to Europe.
NATO’s
fleet will provide the muscle for the operation.
“NATO
is starting activities in [Greek and Turkish] territorial waters
today. We are expanding our cooperation with the EU’s border agency
Frontex, and we are expanding the number of ships in our
deployment,” said
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, as he stood next to
Davutoglu at the final press conference. France and Britain have
pledged new vessels for the fleet.
NATO
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (R) shakes hands with Turkish
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu at the Alliance headquarters in
Brussels, Belgium, March 7, 2016. © Francois Lenoir / Reuters
The
EU said it would offer Turkey €3 billion between now and 2018, in
addition to the €3 billion it had already promised to implement the
scheme last year. It would also offer Turkish citizens visa-free
travel through the Schengen area, starting from June, as opposed to
tentatively reviewing the possibility in October.
“Turkey
are offering more and demanding more,” said
one senior diplomat to Reuters, as European officials publicly
insisted that the issues of migrants and EU integration remain
separate.
After
presenting the interim proposal – which will be subject to
political and likely, legal challenges – the politicians returned
to the negotiating table for another round of talks, which are
scheduled to wrap up on Monday night.
Press freedom criticism
EU
politicians took time out on Monday to criticize
tightening censorship in Turkey, following the takeover of the
country’s largest opposition newspaper Zaman. The newspaper had
been accused of links with President Tayyip Recep Erdogan’s
arch-enemy Fethullah Gulen, though Turkish officials said the case
was “not
politically-motivated.”
Freedom
of the press is “a
non-negotiable element of our European identity” said
European Parliament President Martin Schulz, in reference to Turkey
ambition to achieve closer integration with the EU.
France
and Germany also expressed “concern” at
the development.
Turkey’s Zaman to publish opposition newspaper in Germany
A
woman holds her hand against her bleeding face in front of the
headquarters of Zaman newspaper in Istanbul, Turkey. (Zaman Almanya
7
March, 2016
Top
selling Turkish newspaper, Zaman,
will continue its opposition activities in Germany after being taken
over by the government in its home country, says Zaman
Almanya's editor-in-chief.
“As of today we are printing a version of Zaman that has nothing to do with Zaman there (in Turkey) because it has been forcibly taken over by the state," said Zaman Almanya (Zaman Germany)editor-in-chief Sueleyman Bag in an interview with Reuters on Monday.
Monday's
edition of the Germany-based daily featured a black front page
topped with “The constitution is abolished” as a headline. It has
around 14,000 subscribers in Germany which is home to three million
Turks.
The
opposition newspaper’s website on Monday sported the picture of a
woman holding her hand against her bleeding face in front of the
newspaper's main offices in Istanbul, which were stormed by Turkish
authorities on Friday to enforce a court ruling to place it and its
subsidiary outlets under the management of trustees.
Riot
police cut off the gate to enter the headquarters of Zaman newspaper
in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 5, 2016. (Reuters)
"We
will print an independent newspaper. We still have not addressed the
question of how we do that. This is a new challenge for us,"
added Bag.
The
paper’s takeover triggered massive nationwide protests, which
police violently quashed with water cannons and teargas.
Zaman, a
longtime critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, warned of the
"darkest days" in the history of the Turkish press in
its last edition before its takeover. The following edition, however,
featured a picture of Erdogan holding the hand of an elderly woman on
the front page.
Large
numbers of rights groups and EU officials have slammed the seizure,
saying it greatly infringes on press freedom. EU foreign affairs
chief Federica Mogherini and French President Francois Hollande are
among the takeover critics
Turkey uses refugees to blackmail EU into compliance – ex-MI6 agent
26
February, 2016
A
ceasefire deal has been brokered between the US and Russia – a
product of long and painful negotiations, but the prospect of lasting
peace is still slim. With the rebel forces having no unity, and
Turkey keen on attacking the Kurdish fighters in Northern Syria, many
warn that the truce will crumble shortly. Will sober heads prevail,
or will the bloodshed in Syria just open another chapter? We ask
former a MI6 agent and EU foreign policy adviser. Alastair Crooke is
on Sophie&Co today.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.